A plus-size traveller has hit back at the trolls who insist she book two seats for herself on an airplane for the sake of fellow passengers – with one even calling for her to be banned from flying.
Kirsty Leanne’s response went viral on TikTok, garnering 1.2 million views, as she detailed just why she doesn’t think it’s fair for her to have to fork out.
Many of her 134,000 followers beg her to lose weight and criticise her size, and the 32-year-old says she receives messages every day about her taking up too much space on flights – but she insists booking two seats isn’t a perfect solution.
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“It’s something I get daily now,” Kirsty, a travel blogger from Shropshire, told What’s The Jam.
“While sometimes I will book a second seat, there are so many reasons why it’s not a suitable solution for everyone.”
Kirsty shared her thoughts in the TikTok, explaining that while she understands booking two seats can seem like “the right solution”, it isn’t a “one size fits all” issue.
She said: “Booking two seats can be incredibly expensive and, for a lot of people, it’s out of their budget to spend that much on something they’re not sure will work 100%.
“Booking an extra seat can be super tricky.
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“Every airline has a different process and most of this time, this isn’t available to find on their website.
“On numerous occasions, I have spoken to members of the team using support chats or their customer service line, and they haven’t understood what I’m trying to do.
“A lot of the time, both check-in and gate agents do not know you can book an extra seat, which often leads to confusion when it comes to the process.”
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Kirsty shared that she was once travelling with an extra seat, and said that at every point of contact with a member of staff, they “didn’t know what to do or how to process it” – complicating matters further.
She added: “This was an incredibly anxious experience for me, as I didn’t know if they were going to honour the seat reservation.
“You also never know if your seat is going to be taken away from you.
“I’ve arrived at check-in desks to be told my second seat has been sold, and had people share with me that their extra seats have been given to people on standby.”
Kirsty said the spare seat can also be taken away due to aircraft changes, which can change the seating layout of the plane – something that can’t be planned for in advance.
She added: “While I know booking a second seat works great for some, it’s not a blanket solution for every single plus-size person.”
Despite her reasoning, the comments section of the post was still filled with critical messages.
One user wrote: “This is unfair on those around you. Sort you act out and stop blaming the airlines. You should be banned.”
“Plane seats aren’t small,” another insisted.
Someone else commented: “Isn’t it easier to just lose the weight at this point, all of these problems would be gone for you, this must be exhausting honestly.”
“All very interesting, but that all sounds like a you problem. Just keep your arsecheek, thighs and arms out of MY seat area that I have paid for,” one critic said.
Another user wrote: “If you can’t afford to pay for the space you take up on a plane, you can’t afford to travel. It’s as simple as that.”
Despite the backlash, Kirsty isn’t letting the trolls get to her – and has launched a company called Plus Size Travel Too, where she helps other plus-size budding travellers to make the most of their trips.
She is set to host a trip this summer to Croatia, with 32 other plus-size travel buffs joining her on a yacht – in an accessible way for those in larger bodies.
She added: “I want people to see that it’s not as easy as it seems and why most people choose not to purchase one when flying.
“I feel like a little compassion would go a long way when it comes to plus size people on planes but everyone tends to jump to anger and hate instead.”
